Just because the subject is a very serious topic doesn't make the actual movie good. The message is definitely one that needs to get out there and reach people but the execution was poor. It came across more like a Lifetime network movie with the over the top acting and rushed ending. A subject this serious deserves a several-part mini-series to accurately tell the story.
47 Reviews
Lost potential in the screenplay, acting and directing, but see it for the brutal awareness.
Top_Dawg_Critic20 January 2018
This was a great topic to make a film about, and one would think with so many (15!) producers involved, they wouldn't have messed up the production.
For starters, you don't hire Siddharth Kara, the author of one book (on the subject matter) with zero film experience to write the screenplay. He should have stayed on as only a producer but only to consult, and hired a professional screenwriter.
Next, the directing was sub par... nice camera work but the actors, albeit C-grade, needed better direction so they wouldn't appear as if this was their first high school play. A few of the actors were decent, but I could see the lost potential to make their roles great from the lack of direction from novice director Will Wallace. Again, had a better director come on board, this film would have been great.
Overall the story/premise needed to be shown to create awareness, Some parts are brutal, but it does get the message across.
Would I see it again? No. Would I recommend it? Maybe to parents with young daughters.
It's a 7/10 from me, primarily for the story that needed to be told.
For starters, you don't hire Siddharth Kara, the author of one book (on the subject matter) with zero film experience to write the screenplay. He should have stayed on as only a producer but only to consult, and hired a professional screenwriter.
Next, the directing was sub par... nice camera work but the actors, albeit C-grade, needed better direction so they wouldn't appear as if this was their first high school play. A few of the actors were decent, but I could see the lost potential to make their roles great from the lack of direction from novice director Will Wallace. Again, had a better director come on board, this film would have been great.
Overall the story/premise needed to be shown to create awareness, Some parts are brutal, but it does get the message across.
Would I see it again? No. Would I recommend it? Maybe to parents with young daughters.
It's a 7/10 from me, primarily for the story that needed to be told.
Merely taps into human traffiking
kerrycatshaw12 August 2021
Finally the topic of human traffiking is being looked at. Wish this movie got deeper into the subject, but i guess Hollywood would have shutdown this production if it did go deep into the rabbit hole.
I applaud Ashley Judd for going there and wish she would go there more instead of the plastic surgeon.
This story and all the stories of human trafficking, organ harvesting and child sacrifice needs to be told over and over.
I applaud Ashley Judd for going there and wish she would go there more instead of the plastic surgeon.
This story and all the stories of human trafficking, organ harvesting and child sacrifice needs to be told over and over.
Horrified
theindies14 October 2017
I stumbled into this film knowing nothing about it upfront, but bought a ticket because it was playing "next" when I walked up to the theater.
I was only able to sit through the first half of the film before I walked out. I could not stomach the sick nature that some of the characters did a great job of portraying. It's hard to imagine that people can be so sickening in real life, but apparently that is what this movie is based on. I lost sleep over it last night after watching it.
It is impossible for me to rate this film as something I highly recommend. When I left the theater in disgust at what I had just witnessed, only then did I go on to learn the film is based on actual reality, not just in third world countries, but in the United States.
Something needs to be done to rid the world of perpetrators portrayed in the film. This film is definitely a wake up call.
I was only able to sit through the first half of the film before I walked out. I could not stomach the sick nature that some of the characters did a great job of portraying. It's hard to imagine that people can be so sickening in real life, but apparently that is what this movie is based on. I lost sleep over it last night after watching it.
It is impossible for me to rate this film as something I highly recommend. When I left the theater in disgust at what I had just witnessed, only then did I go on to learn the film is based on actual reality, not just in third world countries, but in the United States.
Something needs to be done to rid the world of perpetrators portrayed in the film. This film is definitely a wake up call.
Hard-hitting and brutal...
paul_haakonsen24 February 2021
Well, given the title of the movie, you already know beforehand what you are getting yourself into when you sit down to watch the 2017 movie "Trafficked". However, I still sat down to watch the movie, as it was one that I hadn't already seen.
Sure, the 2017 movie "Trafficked" deals with a very brutal and inhumane topic, but at the same time it is a movie that is well-worth watching. Not because of the entertainment value to the movie, but because of the fact that it is based on grotesque things that happen every single day around the entire world. And it is a movie that I think you should sit down to watch, even though it being a somewhat brutal movie.
The storyline needs little explanation, so I will not go into that. But the acting performances in the movie were spot on, and that applies to both those women portraying the sex slaves as well as the men portraying the shady people dealing in sex trade.
"Trafficked" has an impressive cast list actually, and I was definitely more than surprised to see the likes of Sean Patrick Flanery, Jason London, Patrick Duffy, Efren Ramirez and Brian Thompson in a movie such as this. Some of them even just had minor roles, not even support roles, in the movie, but still a very bold move to participate in a movie such as this. Hats off to the people involved in this particular movie.
I found "Trafficked" to be a riveting movie, one that had a storyline that proved captivating from the very beginning, and director Will Wallace managed to ensure that the movie never lost its momentum.
If you find yourself with the chance to sit down to watch this 2017 movie, you most certainly should do so. My rating of "Trafficked" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars. "Trafficked" is the type of movie that has a profound impact on the audience, given the severity of the issues that the movie deal with, and the fact that this happens to ordinary people every single day. "Trafficked" definitely leaves you with a lasting impression and gives you something to ponder about.
Sure, the 2017 movie "Trafficked" deals with a very brutal and inhumane topic, but at the same time it is a movie that is well-worth watching. Not because of the entertainment value to the movie, but because of the fact that it is based on grotesque things that happen every single day around the entire world. And it is a movie that I think you should sit down to watch, even though it being a somewhat brutal movie.
The storyline needs little explanation, so I will not go into that. But the acting performances in the movie were spot on, and that applies to both those women portraying the sex slaves as well as the men portraying the shady people dealing in sex trade.
"Trafficked" has an impressive cast list actually, and I was definitely more than surprised to see the likes of Sean Patrick Flanery, Jason London, Patrick Duffy, Efren Ramirez and Brian Thompson in a movie such as this. Some of them even just had minor roles, not even support roles, in the movie, but still a very bold move to participate in a movie such as this. Hats off to the people involved in this particular movie.
I found "Trafficked" to be a riveting movie, one that had a storyline that proved captivating from the very beginning, and director Will Wallace managed to ensure that the movie never lost its momentum.
If you find yourself with the chance to sit down to watch this 2017 movie, you most certainly should do so. My rating of "Trafficked" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars. "Trafficked" is the type of movie that has a profound impact on the audience, given the severity of the issues that the movie deal with, and the fact that this happens to ordinary people every single day. "Trafficked" definitely leaves you with a lasting impression and gives you something to ponder about.
This one shows what an evil world we live in.
metalwarrior-3010222 September 2019
Sad and heartbreaking but it brought a lot of awareness to me of the sex traffic business and how sick the world is. The acting in some places could of been a tad bit better but all in all a good film. keep your children close and don't trust anyone.
Much kudos to this movie highlighting sex slavery
daniray20058 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is a glimpse into what goes on in the multi-billion dollar business of sex trafficking worldwide, yes including America. Much like a Lifetime movie, the acting can be average at times and the storyline slow... but kudos to this movie highlighting the gigantic, barely spoken about bc it's an uncomfortable issue (of children, teens and women/men being trafficked for the enjoyment of men to use and discard) As you sit on your couch scrolling through IMDB to decide what movie you feel like watching.. this one won't likely win an Oscar but it may win over some supporters of those suffering. Ps: Very few "make it out" of sex slavery... That's why the story reflected that.
You have to watch the whole movie....
laurafonseca-595975 February 2018
We started this movie and it quickly made us feel very uneasy. We finally turned it off, wanting to watch something more uplifting. The next day I continued to watch the rest of the movie and am so glad I did. Yes the first half is very ugly and hard to even imagine however watching the last half shows you many great things about the strength we have and the will to survive. Most importantly people need to know this is happening here, to our children. We have to fight human trafficking with every thing we have.
Good Attempt - Why low rtings
maxjosh7217 January 2018
I am surprised to see low ratings for this. The only reason is because it's like a mirror to the society especially the big bad world of dominant males all over the globe.
There is nothing wrong with story line, acting and direction. The movie wants you to hate what you are seeing and it is successful in doing that.
Human population is basically slaves of their own bad habits and unfortunately poor gals have to pay price like this, endless sufferings. Hats off to the people who made this movie with right intents. It is not perfect but deserves a watch, very real and not unreal drama. Watch it once to know exactly how it's going around the globe.
Human population is basically slaves of their own bad habits and unfortunately poor gals have to pay price like this, endless sufferings. Hats off to the people who made this movie with right intents. It is not perfect but deserves a watch, very real and not unreal drama. Watch it once to know exactly how it's going around the globe.
Felt Contrived
ardentayu22 January 2019
The topic of human trafficking is a horribly disturbing one. So why did this movie feel almost silly instead of serious? In the first parts of the movie, a woman has acid dumped on her face, another has her virginity sold, and a group of young woman are sold by someone they trusted to traffickers. It's awful stuff, but it always felt very cliché and more like a TV movie than a theatrical one... As in, this is what bad guys do and say, and this is how vulnerable yet tough women find their resilience by carrying around stuffed animals and bonding with each other in between rapes....
For a movie in a similar vein, I recommend the mini-series Human Trafficking with Mira Sorvino. That actually WAS made for TV, but it's superior to this movie.
For a movie in a similar vein, I recommend the mini-series Human Trafficking with Mira Sorvino. That actually WAS made for TV, but it's superior to this movie.
Very well done movie.....by everyone involved
miller_jayme12 May 2018
I've watched this movie twice now, and both times I was sickened by what rich people with money really have the ability and power to do. IT WAS AN EYE OPENER!!!! It's obvious to me that DEBS review on this movie was NOT EVEN CLOSE to what the movie is showing us. The FACT that DEBS reviews only shows us SHE DOESN'T LIKE ASHLEY JUDD!!!!!
DEB unfortunately missed the entire point of the movie!!!! (WEIRD). IT IS SAD!!!
I feel this movie showed us a 100,000 billion dollar point of view here with organs, drugs, and Human Trafficking.
In my Opinion, this movie woke me up to what is not only going on around the rest of the world, but going on in our own COUNTRY.
I feel the actors did a wonderful job in portraying the defiling, inhuman acts by men and women both on this subject.
DEB unfortunately missed the entire point of the movie!!!! (WEIRD). IT IS SAD!!!
I feel this movie showed us a 100,000 billion dollar point of view here with organs, drugs, and Human Trafficking.
In my Opinion, this movie woke me up to what is not only going on around the rest of the world, but going on in our own COUNTRY.
I feel the actors did a wonderful job in portraying the defiling, inhuman acts by men and women both on this subject.
The Filmmakers Deserve Credit for this Exposé
lavatch8 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Based on the book by Harvard professor Siddharth Kara, which he adapted into the screenplay, this film tells the horrific story of human trafficking in the modern age. As indicated in the film, there are millions of victims of the trafficking with as many as 100,000 in the United States of America. According to Kara, as an industry, human trafficking accounted for the staggering figure of $100 billion passing hands within a single year.
The film had an ambitious reach as it depicted the of abductions the Nigerian Mali (Jessica Obilum); the Indian Amba (Alpa Banker), whose dream of attending M.I.T. ends with her brutal kidnapping; and the Northern Californian Sara (Kelly Washington), who was raised in a Catholic orphanage after fleeing with her younger sister from an abusive father and a dysfunctional family.
Anne Archer plays the role of the kind Mother Monica, and Ashley Judd is Diane, an angelic social worker on the surface, but a sadistic accomplice to the traffickers, who betrays the trust of young Sara. It was disappointing that Judd's character was never fully developed to learn what was her underlying "story" that led her to such a depraved existence.
At a key juncture in the film, Mali, Amba, and Sara are forced to live out a nightmare when they are united in Houston. It is at this point that the film becomes more of a "let's-make-a-break-for-it" thriller than an exposé.
One of the most shocking moments of film was the completely unexpected betrayal of young Sara by Judd's character Diane. But one of the most uplifting moments was Mali's identification of "juju," the sacred spirits that will inspire the young hostages to persevere and eventually triumph over their oppressors. According to Mali, the spirits "keep you safe when trouble comes." And there was plenty of troubled exposed in their story.
This was an earnest and indeed terrifying film that succeeded in raising awareness about an important topic. It even provided a hotline number in the closing credits.
The film had an ambitious reach as it depicted the of abductions the Nigerian Mali (Jessica Obilum); the Indian Amba (Alpa Banker), whose dream of attending M.I.T. ends with her brutal kidnapping; and the Northern Californian Sara (Kelly Washington), who was raised in a Catholic orphanage after fleeing with her younger sister from an abusive father and a dysfunctional family.
Anne Archer plays the role of the kind Mother Monica, and Ashley Judd is Diane, an angelic social worker on the surface, but a sadistic accomplice to the traffickers, who betrays the trust of young Sara. It was disappointing that Judd's character was never fully developed to learn what was her underlying "story" that led her to such a depraved existence.
At a key juncture in the film, Mali, Amba, and Sara are forced to live out a nightmare when they are united in Houston. It is at this point that the film becomes more of a "let's-make-a-break-for-it" thriller than an exposé.
One of the most shocking moments of film was the completely unexpected betrayal of young Sara by Judd's character Diane. But one of the most uplifting moments was Mali's identification of "juju," the sacred spirits that will inspire the young hostages to persevere and eventually triumph over their oppressors. According to Mali, the spirits "keep you safe when trouble comes." And there was plenty of troubled exposed in their story.
This was an earnest and indeed terrifying film that succeeded in raising awareness about an important topic. It even provided a hotline number in the closing credits.
Great concept but..
chrissyhen26 April 2020
I think the concept is great and raises awareness as well bc this is something that continues to happen and it's sad. The only thing is I feel like this type of film should've had way better actors. I almost cut it off 10 minutes in because the acting is not good and for me personally that will make me not want to watch a movie. Would love to see this recreated with some at least B list actors.
The Sickness of Men
rdg4516 May 2018
Average movie if you're at a loose end
andrewgrgtwn14 August 2018
My wife enjoyed this movie I thought it was badly edited and the acting was below average excluding the child actors, i did stick with the movie as apprently it was a true story and I wanted to see the outcome, towards the end there was some excitement but the movie overall disappoints.
Women Trafficking - One of the Nastiest Crimes in the World
claudio_carvalho11 April 2022
In California, when the teenager orphan Sara (Kelly Washington) is eighteen years old, she needs to leave the foster home of Mother Monica (Anne Archer) and her sister Natalie (Madison Wolfe) behind. The social worker Diane (Ashley Judd) offers a waitress training on a cruise ship in Houston. However, she sells Sara and the other girls to human traffickers. In India, the upper-class Amba (Alpa Banker) is with a friend in a bar and rejects the harassment of the criminal Raj Singh (Mayank Bhatter). While heading back home, Amba and her friend are forced to stop their car and Raj throws acid on them and sells Amba as sex slave. Sara and Amba travel to a brothel in Texas owned by the dealers Simon (Sean Patrick Flanery) and the powerful Christian (Patrick Duffy). Sara and Amba befriends the experienced Nigerian Mali (Jessica Obilom) that advises them how to survive in the brothel. Simon tells the sex slaves that they have a debt of 500 men each and after having these encounters, they will be free to go. But when they realize that Simon is lying, Sara decides to flee and invites Amba and Mali to go with her.
"Trafficked" is a powerful film based on a true story of human trafficking, which is one of the nastiest crimes in the world. The screenplay is very well written and with great performances. The theft of organs, arms and drugs trafficking are also shown in this film, but the main focus is the trafficking of sex slaves. Brazil has many missing persons and probably many of them are kidnapped or lured for human trafficking. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Tráfico de Mulheres" ("Women Trafficking")
"Trafficked" is a powerful film based on a true story of human trafficking, which is one of the nastiest crimes in the world. The screenplay is very well written and with great performances. The theft of organs, arms and drugs trafficking are also shown in this film, but the main focus is the trafficking of sex slaves. Brazil has many missing persons and probably many of them are kidnapped or lured for human trafficking. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Tráfico de Mulheres" ("Women Trafficking")
Terrible Execution
tatibee7520 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Obviously this review is not about the subject of the movie. Trafficking is everywhere and it's one of the many awful things that happens to many people in this world. However, this movie was terrible. This was released in 2017 and the times are obviously modern, so why is the Nigerian girl still living in a hut and carrying a doll around like a child? And she chose to do this? That's laughable. Stereotypes kill movies in my opinion. The acting is terrible and it's pretty obvious that this is a cheap movie. I've seen movies about trafficking that are better. It's not just the subject; it's how you tell the story.
How Can This Happen
bpfilmer-97-39884612 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
REVIEW OF TRAFFICKED FOR LINKED IN - Most on Monday or Tuesday
Names of the characters
Ashley Judd - Diane
Writer Siddharth Kara
white girl sarah played by Kelly Washington
Alpa Banker as Amba from India
Jessica Obilom as Mali
Watch on Amazon Prime
Last night I watched Trafficked and I was riveted from beginning to end-mainly it was the writer Siddharth Kara's excellent ability to answer the question: "How does this happen?"
The films focuses on three young women from different parts of the world: Northern California, India and Nigeria. They all end up together in a Texan whare house on lockdown. The stories of how they got there are varied and violent. There was Amba from a high class family in India, a swim star bound for MIT. She and her sister were victims of an acid attack when Amba refused to go out with a local boy in New Deli. After throwing acid on them, he sold Amba to a local Madame who sold her to someone in Amsterdam eventually landing her in Texas by way of Mexico. There was the 'mother' Mali from Nigeria who had to leave her baby behind after her husband became paralyzed on the job. With no other job prospects, Mali went into prostitution she felt it was the only way she could feed her family. She coped by reciting what her mother told her once, "It only takes a few minutes to lie with a man but it takes all day to plant sweet potatoes." Mali is a loving character, who holds a knit doll close, a surrogate for the baby she left behind. She uses her mothering instincts to help the other women and girls she encounters. Our third young woman is Sarah, a blond blue eyed Californian in foster care with her younger sister. Sarah is visited by Diane (Ashley Judd) on her 18th birthday. Diane demands that Sarah now 18 vacate the foster home that the Nun (Anne Archer) runs. Diane sells them both on the idea of working on a cruise ship. Shortly after Sarah and a few other young girls drive away from the foster home, bound for presumed sea fairing adventures, Diane rendezvous's with some sleaze-bags who take the girls by force, punching them in their faces and knocking a girl unconscious when she tries to run. When Sarah cries out: "Why are you doing this?" Diane, replies,"It's just business." she then turns to the sleaze-bags and tells them to "Teach these girls a lesson." The film does a fair job sharing the blame among men and women in the trafficking business from Madames to pimps, to drivers, to security etc., it seems no one is safe once these young girls have been abducted all accept, Enrique played by Efren 'Vote for Pedro' Ramirez who helps two of them escape although he himself is in an impossible situation as a Mexican immigrant without papers and a family to feed. It's a difficult, timely subject matter and it is worth noting how much violence is shown in the film. You see women and young girls groped, forced to have sex against their will aka raped. You see them punched in the face, shot and in one scene, a flashback of Sarah's when she and her younger sister witness their father beating their mother to death right in front of them. As a filmmaker, I feel we've seen enough images of violence against women - we've certainly seen enough rape. But violence is a big part of the story and it becomes crystal clear why these women don't leave their situations when their held at gun point, locked in their rooms, beaten and forced to watch as their less than obliging 'colleagues' are murdered in cold blood right in front of them.
I was profoundly sad when at the end, Mali, 'The Mother' Mali doesn't escape. She's in the final scene, comforting an underage girl as they wait on the streets with other prostitutes for their fate which comes in the form of a heavyset old white guy. He rolls up in some late model sedan, looking at them both, he says: "I'll take the little one." As Mali reluctantly let's go of the scared little girl, it's suggested that maybe this is the little girl's first time or maybe she won't come back. We see her sweet little face in this stranger's car as they drive off. It's just unimaginable why a grown man would desire a little girl sexually. Mali herself is crying, alone on a dirty street curb. I felt cynical by the decision to not let Mali go. Doesn't Mali deserve to be free like Sarah and Amba? Of course, and yet this is not what happens in real life. It is usually not a happy ending for these young women and girls.
Names of the characters
Ashley Judd - Diane
Writer Siddharth Kara
white girl sarah played by Kelly Washington
Alpa Banker as Amba from India
Jessica Obilom as Mali
Watch on Amazon Prime
Last night I watched Trafficked and I was riveted from beginning to end-mainly it was the writer Siddharth Kara's excellent ability to answer the question: "How does this happen?"
The films focuses on three young women from different parts of the world: Northern California, India and Nigeria. They all end up together in a Texan whare house on lockdown. The stories of how they got there are varied and violent. There was Amba from a high class family in India, a swim star bound for MIT. She and her sister were victims of an acid attack when Amba refused to go out with a local boy in New Deli. After throwing acid on them, he sold Amba to a local Madame who sold her to someone in Amsterdam eventually landing her in Texas by way of Mexico. There was the 'mother' Mali from Nigeria who had to leave her baby behind after her husband became paralyzed on the job. With no other job prospects, Mali went into prostitution she felt it was the only way she could feed her family. She coped by reciting what her mother told her once, "It only takes a few minutes to lie with a man but it takes all day to plant sweet potatoes." Mali is a loving character, who holds a knit doll close, a surrogate for the baby she left behind. She uses her mothering instincts to help the other women and girls she encounters. Our third young woman is Sarah, a blond blue eyed Californian in foster care with her younger sister. Sarah is visited by Diane (Ashley Judd) on her 18th birthday. Diane demands that Sarah now 18 vacate the foster home that the Nun (Anne Archer) runs. Diane sells them both on the idea of working on a cruise ship. Shortly after Sarah and a few other young girls drive away from the foster home, bound for presumed sea fairing adventures, Diane rendezvous's with some sleaze-bags who take the girls by force, punching them in their faces and knocking a girl unconscious when she tries to run. When Sarah cries out: "Why are you doing this?" Diane, replies,"It's just business." she then turns to the sleaze-bags and tells them to "Teach these girls a lesson." The film does a fair job sharing the blame among men and women in the trafficking business from Madames to pimps, to drivers, to security etc., it seems no one is safe once these young girls have been abducted all accept, Enrique played by Efren 'Vote for Pedro' Ramirez who helps two of them escape although he himself is in an impossible situation as a Mexican immigrant without papers and a family to feed. It's a difficult, timely subject matter and it is worth noting how much violence is shown in the film. You see women and young girls groped, forced to have sex against their will aka raped. You see them punched in the face, shot and in one scene, a flashback of Sarah's when she and her younger sister witness their father beating their mother to death right in front of them. As a filmmaker, I feel we've seen enough images of violence against women - we've certainly seen enough rape. But violence is a big part of the story and it becomes crystal clear why these women don't leave their situations when their held at gun point, locked in their rooms, beaten and forced to watch as their less than obliging 'colleagues' are murdered in cold blood right in front of them.
I was profoundly sad when at the end, Mali, 'The Mother' Mali doesn't escape. She's in the final scene, comforting an underage girl as they wait on the streets with other prostitutes for their fate which comes in the form of a heavyset old white guy. He rolls up in some late model sedan, looking at them both, he says: "I'll take the little one." As Mali reluctantly let's go of the scared little girl, it's suggested that maybe this is the little girl's first time or maybe she won't come back. We see her sweet little face in this stranger's car as they drive off. It's just unimaginable why a grown man would desire a little girl sexually. Mali herself is crying, alone on a dirty street curb. I felt cynical by the decision to not let Mali go. Doesn't Mali deserve to be free like Sarah and Amba? Of course, and yet this is not what happens in real life. It is usually not a happy ending for these young women and girls.
Essentially a mirror image of the comet pizza nuttery.
random-7077812 February 2021
Firstly the claims asserted to be factual by this film are utterly debunked by the data. The claim that the average ago of entry into sex work is 14" ha been debunked by the Atlantic, the Washington Post Fact Check", and Poilitifact. The Peer reviewed work shows the average age for entry is in fact between 22 to 23 years old. The number 14 and 13 came from a small set of interviews with MINORS who were at the time in sex work or on custody .ONLY minors. . That is like attempting to assert the general risk of fires in all homes by only using the set of houses with smokers domiciled. The truly random samples of sex workers shows they are in average 22.7 years old when they start.
We ended up with Congressional testimony (including by someone involved in this film) and then Senator Klobuchar making this "14-years-old" statement, which the Obama justice department had to come out and clarify was a baseless statistic.
The data also show average reduced lifespan, controlling for poverty, is 11 months. That is right, women in sex work lose, in their lifetime, an average of eleven months mostly actually effect of venerial diseases like AIDS or hepatitis, and not some generalized homicide. Also the organ harvesting in the US or Canada trope has been even ore thoroughly debunked nonsense.
But most egregious is Ashly Judd character as someone who works though US orphanages and foster care institutions to induct girls into slave based prostitution. That is as disgusting as the rumors about Comet Pizza and Judd ought to be ashamed of herself. There is exactly zero evidence that that is a significant source.
Highest risk for a minor girl entering into prostitution in studies in six us jurisdictions? Being domiciled in a home with a man with criminal; record, most typically a boyfriend of the mother. That actually north of 93% of gun violnmce involving children. If you want to do something about children and prostitutions or for that matter kids and gun violence, make it illegal to allow anyone with a felony arrest in any home where there are children.
A Difficult Watch
daviddunn-9065325 September 2020
I thought this very well done ,highlighting the misery of human trafficking.
That it still happens in the 21st century is heartbreaking.
Seeing the plight of these innocent young girls was a difficult watch. Every so often I had to pause the movie, as some scenes were very brutal and upsetting. This was no holds barred reality, all to make the perpetrators money at the expense of these poor young girls misery. I managed to make it through the whole movie, but it had me thinking for days afterwards.
Seeing the plight of these innocent young girls was a difficult watch. Every so often I had to pause the movie, as some scenes were very brutal and upsetting. This was no holds barred reality, all to make the perpetrators money at the expense of these poor young girls misery. I managed to make it through the whole movie, but it had me thinking for days afterwards.
How Does This Happen? SPOILERS
bpfilmer-97-39884612 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Last night I watched Trafficked and I was riveted from beginning to end-mainly it was the writer Siddharth Kara's excellent ability to answer the question: "How does this happen?"
The films focuses on three young women from different parts of the world: Northern California, India and Nigeria. They all end up together in a Texan whare house on lockdown. The stories of how they got there are varied and violent. There was Amba from a high class family in India, a swim star bound for MIT. She and her sister were victims of an acid attack when Amba refused to go out with a local boy in New Deli. After throwing acid on them, he sold Amba to a local Madame who sold her to someone in Amsterdam eventually landing her in Texas by way of Mexico. There was the 'mother' Mali from Nigeria who had to leave her baby behind after her husband became paralyzed on the job. With no other job prospects, Mali went into prostitution she felt it was the only way she could feed her family. She coped by reciting what her mother told her once, "It only takes a few minutes to lie with a man but it takes all day to plant sweet potatoes." Mali is a loving character, who holds a knit doll close, a surrogate for the baby she left behind. She uses her mothering instincts to help the other women and girls she encounters. Our third young woman is Sarah, a blond blue eyed Californian in foster care with her younger sister. Sarah is visited by Diane (Ashley Judd) on her 18th birthday. Diane demands that Sarah now 18 vacate the foster home that the Nun (Anne Archer) runs. Diane sells them both on the idea of working on a cruise ship. Shortly after Sarah and a few other young girls drive away from the foster home, bound for presumed sea fairing adventures, Diane rendezvous's with some sleaze-bags who take the girls by force, punching them in their faces and knocking a girl unconscious when she tries to run. When Sarah cries out: "Why are you doing this?" Diane, replies,"It's just business." she then turns to the sleaze-bags and tells them to "Teach these girls a lesson." The film does a fair job sharing the blame among men and women in the trafficking business from Madames to pimps, to drivers, to security etc., it seems no one is safe once these young girls have been abducted all accept, Enrique played by Efren 'Vote for Pedro' Ramirez who helps two of them escape although he himself is in an impossible situation as a Mexican immigrant without papers and a family to feed. It's a difficult, timely subject matter and it is worth noting how much violence is shown in the film. You see women and young girls groped, forced to have sex against their will aka raped. You see them punched in the face, shot and in one scene, a flashback of Sarah's when she and her younger sister witness their father beating their mother to death right in front of them. As a filmmaker, I feel we've seen enough images of violence against women - we've certainly seen enough rape. But violence is a big part of the story and it becomes crystal clear why these women don't leave their situations when their held at gun point, locked in their rooms, beaten and forced to watch as their less than obliging 'colleagues' are murdered in cold blood right in front of them.
I was profoundly sad when at the end, Mali, 'The Mother' doesn't escape. She's in the final scene, comforting an underage girl as they wait on the streets with other prostitutes for their fate which comes in the form of a heavyset old white guy. He rolls up in some late model sedan, looking at them both, he says: "I'll take the little one." As Mali reluctantly let's go of the scared little girl, it's suggested that maybe this is the little girl's first time or maybe she won't come back. We see her sweet little face in this stranger's car as they drive off. It's just unimaginable why a grown man would desire a little girl sexually. Mali herself is crying, alone on a dirty street curb.
I felt cynical by the decision to not let the Nigerian character go. Doesn't Mali deserve to be free like Sarah and Amba? Of course, and yet this is not what happens in real life. It is usually not a happy ending for these young women and girls.
The films focuses on three young women from different parts of the world: Northern California, India and Nigeria. They all end up together in a Texan whare house on lockdown. The stories of how they got there are varied and violent. There was Amba from a high class family in India, a swim star bound for MIT. She and her sister were victims of an acid attack when Amba refused to go out with a local boy in New Deli. After throwing acid on them, he sold Amba to a local Madame who sold her to someone in Amsterdam eventually landing her in Texas by way of Mexico. There was the 'mother' Mali from Nigeria who had to leave her baby behind after her husband became paralyzed on the job. With no other job prospects, Mali went into prostitution she felt it was the only way she could feed her family. She coped by reciting what her mother told her once, "It only takes a few minutes to lie with a man but it takes all day to plant sweet potatoes." Mali is a loving character, who holds a knit doll close, a surrogate for the baby she left behind. She uses her mothering instincts to help the other women and girls she encounters. Our third young woman is Sarah, a blond blue eyed Californian in foster care with her younger sister. Sarah is visited by Diane (Ashley Judd) on her 18th birthday. Diane demands that Sarah now 18 vacate the foster home that the Nun (Anne Archer) runs. Diane sells them both on the idea of working on a cruise ship. Shortly after Sarah and a few other young girls drive away from the foster home, bound for presumed sea fairing adventures, Diane rendezvous's with some sleaze-bags who take the girls by force, punching them in their faces and knocking a girl unconscious when she tries to run. When Sarah cries out: "Why are you doing this?" Diane, replies,"It's just business." she then turns to the sleaze-bags and tells them to "Teach these girls a lesson." The film does a fair job sharing the blame among men and women in the trafficking business from Madames to pimps, to drivers, to security etc., it seems no one is safe once these young girls have been abducted all accept, Enrique played by Efren 'Vote for Pedro' Ramirez who helps two of them escape although he himself is in an impossible situation as a Mexican immigrant without papers and a family to feed. It's a difficult, timely subject matter and it is worth noting how much violence is shown in the film. You see women and young girls groped, forced to have sex against their will aka raped. You see them punched in the face, shot and in one scene, a flashback of Sarah's when she and her younger sister witness their father beating their mother to death right in front of them. As a filmmaker, I feel we've seen enough images of violence against women - we've certainly seen enough rape. But violence is a big part of the story and it becomes crystal clear why these women don't leave their situations when their held at gun point, locked in their rooms, beaten and forced to watch as their less than obliging 'colleagues' are murdered in cold blood right in front of them.
I was profoundly sad when at the end, Mali, 'The Mother' doesn't escape. She's in the final scene, comforting an underage girl as they wait on the streets with other prostitutes for their fate which comes in the form of a heavyset old white guy. He rolls up in some late model sedan, looking at them both, he says: "I'll take the little one." As Mali reluctantly let's go of the scared little girl, it's suggested that maybe this is the little girl's first time or maybe she won't come back. We see her sweet little face in this stranger's car as they drive off. It's just unimaginable why a grown man would desire a little girl sexually. Mali herself is crying, alone on a dirty street curb.
I felt cynical by the decision to not let the Nigerian character go. Doesn't Mali deserve to be free like Sarah and Amba? Of course, and yet this is not what happens in real life. It is usually not a happy ending for these young women and girls.
Vile. Poor, B grade attempt to portray evil.
austin-night15 November 2018
I quit at approximately 27 min. Just lost interest. Human trafficking is sick and disgusting and wrong on so many levels but the story they tried to tell (again, I quit after 27 minutes) just sucked. Poor directing. If I'm not mistaken, Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite was a bartender, also the villain from Cobra is in it (which actually adds bonus points IMO.) Scene after scene of women of different races being beaten and bound by rope or duct tape or whatever crying or laying dormant was just depressing. If the director thought those scenes would help open the world's eyes to a serious problem, he did a bad job. Tell a good story with a good script that doesn't offend the viewer and makes people aware, and is also smart, suspenseful, and well told. Trafficked did not do this. If this movie's goal was to shed a light on a disturbing industry it failed. Bad script, bad acting. Just ugly and poorly made. Do not recommend.
Good strong story
knorkett22 January 2021
Very Bad Film. Unrealistic. Badly Written Script.
miltruiz23 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Apparently this is based on a book. I don't want to read that book. I don't know if the book was badly written, or if the script for the movie was badly written; but something was badly written, and it shows. Also, the acting heavyweights in this movie, such as Ashley Judd, a frigging Boondock Saint, fercryingoutloud, and even Pedro, who I would vote for in any ballot he's in, they all play bad guys, in bit roles, I guess to tell warn us not to trust on appearances, which seems kind of dumb in the face of it, at least in the context of this movie. Also, the acting by the main players is kind of just really bad. I think the topic is important, and this movie cheapened it. A much better movie, in my opinion, about the same topic, is The Paradise Suite, which touched on the same topics in a much more poignant way.
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